Personas development

Personas development is creating generalized, data-based portraits of the audience's key segments: their goals and motivations, tasks (what they are trying to do), pains and barriers, usage context, behavioral patterns. Personas are a working tool: they help the team make product decisions oriented toward a specific segment representative rather than abstract 'everyone'. Honestly about 'a model, not reality', this is key: a persona is a simplified model of a segment, NOT a real person and not an exact behavior prediction. It helps think about users more concretely and consistently in the team but does not describe everyone or guarantee a person will act 'like the persona'. It is a thinking and communication tool, not truth. Honestly about reliance on data, this is critical: personas are useful ONLY if based on real research (943). Invented 'from the head' personas (who we think our client is) are not just useless — they are harmful because they cement guesses and create false confidence. We make personas on data, and if there is no data — we will honestly say research is needed first, not composing pretty cards. Honestly about obsolescence: the audience and product change, so personas become outdated over time and require updating — it is not a one-off 'eternal' artifact. Honestly about the effect: they help the team keep focus on the user and make more consistent decisions, but it is an auxiliary tool, not a result guarantee. Honestly about access: research data (or conducting it) is needed. An important boundary: this is personas; research (the basis) — 943; JTBD (an alternative/complementary view) — 945; CJM — 946. Picture this: instead of 'making for everyone and no one' — specific portraits the team relies on. The base price starts from 25,000 ₽ (assumes research data exists).

• The product is made 'for everyone', meaning for no one specific.
• The team imagines the user differently.
• Decisions are made without a reference to a real person.
• There are personas, but invented and detached from data.

• Generalized portraits of key segments based on data
• Goals, tasks, pains, context, behavior
• Reliance on real research (943), not 'from the head'
• A format convenient for team decisions
• Honest boundaries (a model, not reality; become outdated; data needed)
• An honest assessment: is there enough data or is research needed
• A link with JTBD (945) and CJM (946)
• Handover and review with you

• Specific audience portraits for team decisions
• A unified understanding of who the user is
• Reliance on data, not on guesses
• Honest boundaries (a thinking tool; not a guarantee; update)

• We take research data (943) or assess its sufficiency
• We form personas by segment based on data
• We hand over in a convenient format, honestly set boundaries with you

• Can personas be made without research, on our assumptions?

  They can, but honestly — it is harmful, not just useless. Invented 'from the head' personas cement guesses and create false confidence: the team confidently orients toward a portrait that may not match reality. Personas are useful ONLY on real data (research 943). If there is no data, we will honestly advise research first rather than composing pretty but reality-detached cards.

• Does a persona exactly describe our users?

  No, honestly: a persona is a simplified model of a segment, not a real person and not an exact prediction. It helps think about users more concretely and consistently but does not describe everyone or guarantee a person will act 'like the persona'. It is a thinking and communication tool in the team, not the ultimate truth — and we honestly present it that way.

• Are personas made once and for all?

  No, honestly: the audience and product change, so personas become outdated over time and require updating. It is not an 'eternal' artifact. We make them current on the present data and honestly warn that as things change (new segments, product, market) they should be revised rather than considered unchanging forever.